Tips to Safely Block a Shot in Hockey

Hey guys, we are pumped for the new hockey season and will be trying our best to get videos and articles up as quickly as possible. In this video we are on the ice again and sharing tips on how to safely block a shot in hockey. Remeber that blocking a shot is always dangerous, but you can help greatly reduce your chance of injury by following the tips in the video (and the text below)

How to block a shot in Hockey – Video

In this video Ken shows the WRONG way and the right way to block a shot

More shot blocking tips from Tim Thomas hockey school

Here are some more tips that I thought were very helpful

Quick tips for blocking a shot

DONT’S

Never expose – and always protect – vulnerable areas of the body (head, face, crotch, any areas with little padding)

Never turn your back, remember most of the padding is at the front of your body

Never turn sideways, open your legs, throw your stick out, or lift your leg. Remember, you are trying to block the shot, not screen your goalie

Never lead with your stick, the puck can deflect off the blade and hit you right in the kisser

DO’S

Try to ensure that your entire body is covered with some type of protection. Know your vulnerable areas and remember to cover them with padding (the back of the gloves are great for covering those special areas)

The closer you get to the shooter the better. The closer you get the more of the net you will block, and the puck will not be able to build much speed

Try to remain standing as you block the shot, if you are standing and block a shot it could lead to a breakaway!

If you get hurt try not to squirm around on the ice for everyone to see, suck it up and get to the bench, then squirm all you want.

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions just leave them in the comment section.

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Hi my name is Jeremy Rupke. My goal is to break every hockey skill down into easy to understand articles and videos. I explain everything step-by-step to help others improve. I'm active on Instagram, Facebook and more, you can follow through the links above.
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The puck will reach its maximum velocity the moment it leaves comtact with the stick of the shooter. From that point, it will only slow down (thought almost negligably) due to air resistance. The puck will not build speed as it travels towards the goal, as your point seems to imply. Though a good reason for wanting to get close to the shooter to block a shot would be the advantage of thick shin pads taking the hit as the puck is still relatively low to the ice and hasn’t had time to reach the peak height of its flight.

Excellent point, It seems if you are nice and close when you block the shot you have a better chance of getting the right padding in the way, you take up more room so the player has less chance of hitting the net, and the shooter is more likely to let up on the shot, or not get a full follow through if you are very close.